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NAHL Maryland Black Bears

Black Bears Look to Take Command against Generals

December 4, 2024 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Maryland Black Bears News Release


The Maryland Black Bears are coming off a series split against the Johnstown Tomahawks, allowing the Black Bears to remain as the East Division's second seed with a 15-9-1 record and 31 points. This weekend, they'll welcome the Northeast Generals, who are in the midst of a four-game losing streak. This will be the first meeting of the season between these two teams. Last season, Northeast and Maryland split a four-game season series 2-2-0, with each winning one game at home and one on the road.

After securing two wins over the Danbury Hat Tricks the weekend prior, the Black Bears looked to extend their win streak to three when they welcomed the Johnstown Tomahawks to town. In game one, Maryland started the first period in dominant fashion, getting goals from forwards Josh Frenette and Tommy Holtby just 1:02 apart to give the Black Bears a 2-0 lead less than five minutes in. Despite the Tomahawks scoring before the first period ended to make it 2-1, Maryland got two goals in the third period from forwards Kareem El-Bashir and Tyler Stern to help the Black Bears to a 4-1 win. Goaltender Benji Motew made 16 saves as Maryland outshot Johnstown 43-17 in the winning effort that ended the Tomahawk's five-game win streak. Despite outshooting the Tomahawks 27-19, the Black Bears couldn't recreate the previous night's success, falling 4-1 with the lone goal scored by forward Luke Janus.

The Northeast Generals have not seen the success they had been hoping for this season, sporting a 10-13-3 record with 23 points, good for seventh place in the East Division. The Generals have lost six of its last eight games, including two last weekend to the New Jersey Titans. Despite goals from forwards Jake Gutwirth and John Halverson, Northeast couldn't overcome New Jersey and lost 5-2. The following night didn't go much better, as the Generals allowed the first three goals of the game. Despite a goal from forward Jaden Sikura in the second period and 25 saves from goaltender Aiden McKenna, Northeast lost 3-1.

Players to Watch:

Jake Gutwirth (F, NTE): Even though the Generals have been struggling, Gutwirth has been one of the lone bright spots of this stretch of the season. He has points in seven of his last eight games, recording two goals and six assists in that span.

Tommy Holtby (F, MYD): Holtby has been well known by Maryland fans for his hard-working, physical style of play. He is never afraid to drop the gloves or deliver a big hit. Recently, Holtby has begun to make more of an impact offensively, scoring three goals in his last three games.

Northeast and Maryland will take the ice Friday, December 6th, and Saturday, December 7th, at Piney Orchard Ice Arena with puck drop for both nights scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. All games can be streamed on NAHLTV.

Check out the Maryland Black Bears Statistics

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